Low Key

Tom Hiddleston’s Next Project Is a Western Musical

When you think of Tom Hiddleston, everyone’s favorite comic-book villain and Jaguar spokesman, the first thing you think is “cowboy,” right? Well maybe not, but that’s not going to stop the British actor from playing against type as country-music icon Hank Williams in an upcoming biopic. The other detail sure to set hearts a-fluttering and record sales a-rocketing is that like Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash before him, Hiddleston will be doing all his own singing. Does he have the chops for it? Well don’t expect some sort ofEwan McGregor in Moulin Rouge miracle, but with a smudge of auto tuning and a healthy twang, Hiddleston is capable of at least Phoenix-level crooning. Here’s a sampling of his talent:

And as far as looks go, Hiddleston is a fairly good match for the lanky Williams, who, like Cash, combined a crippling substance-abuse problem with a charming and prolific stage persona. You can see Williams at work here:

Hiddleston, no doubt, has the acting chops for the tragic side of Williams’ life. If he can do Shakesperean tragedy, he can certainly do American tragedy. Williams, for what it’s worth, was known as “the Hillbilly Shakespeare,” among other things. In his short lifetime, Williams produced 35 singles that made it into the Billboard Top 10. Williams was also fired from nearly every job he had and died at the young age of 29 from spina bifida and alcoholism. But to this day he’s an absolute legend in his genre. Can you imagine anyone better taking on this role? Maybe Ryan Gosling, if he weren’t so busy directing. After all, Gosling’s obviously got the moves down pat which you can see here as he dances to Hank Williams contemporary Buck Owens.